A Child Suspect
by DetectiveGirl1
Summary: Elliot and Olivia receive a case that has a twist to it
1. Chapter 1

**In The Criminal Justice System, sexually based offences are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as The Special Victims Unit. These are their stories!**

**Prologue**

**20th January **

_A child of about twelve hadn't spoken for about two years, no one except her father knew why, but there was no way he was telling anyone. The family held a dark secret, one which needed to be exposed for the safety of the child involved._

_The child in question, who was called Charlotte, was not a violent type, but one day she just lost it at her father. She went for him and hit him over the head with a dining room chair._

_When her father awoke, he called 911 and Detective Fontana and Detective Green arrived. After assessing the situation, asking Charlotte's father what happened, and trying to ask Charlotte what happened, Detective Fontana pulled out a pair of handcuffs and placed them on Charlotte. He said, "Charlotte Marshall, you are under arrest for attempted murder, you have the right to remain silent, if you give up that right anything you do say will be given in evidence. You have the right to an attorney present, if you can not afford one, one will be proved for. Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?"_

_Charlotte remained silent, even through the interview, finally Lieutenant Van Buren lost patience with her and called the Assistant District Attorney, Serena Southerlyn to see if she could get anything out of her. Charlotte remain stubbornly silent, even after Serena had told her, "Charlotte, I can't help you if you don't talk to me."_

_Finally she too lost patience with Charlotte and walked out. Serena walked out to where Lieutenant Van Buren was and said, "She is being stubbornly silent, I wonder why?" Lieutenant Van Buren said, "She refused to even say anything to Detectives Fontana and Green." The ADA said, "As she is twelve years old and it appears deliberately went at her father with a dining room chair, I have no choice but to send her to a Detention Facility. And I am afraid that it is going to have to be Rikers because she is of an age where if we can prove she knew what she was doing at the time, we can charge her as an adult."_

_Lieutenant Van Buren said, "We'll hand the case over to Special Victims in the morning, to see if they can get anything out of her, but in the meantime, she will have to go to Rikers._


	2. Chapter 2

**In The Criminal Justice System, sexually based offences are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as The Special Victims Unit. These are their stories!**

**Chapter 1**

**1-6 Police Precinct**

**9am 21st January**

Detective Olivia Benson looked at a case file again. It was an attempted murder case she had just finished reading, but something didn't make sense. The case was given to them because Charlotte the twelve year old daughter of the victim was the suspect; it looked to be a clear cut case, so she wondered why it wasn't given to Lieutenant Van Buren's team who dealt with that sort of thing? They dealt with rape and homicide and child victims, sexually based offences as the law put it.

She said to Detective Elliot Stabler, "Why were we given the case, if it was attempted murder, why didn't Lieutenant Van Buren's team deal with it? It seems such a clear cut case." Elliot looked up from a file, "Apparently she wouldn't even talk to any of the people there. The new Assistant District Attorney even tried to talking to her, but she still wouldn't talk, so they thought that you might get something out of her."

Olivia questioned, "Where is she now, because I would like to talk to her?" Elliot replied, looking at the file. "They had no choice but to send her to a Detention Facility because she wouldn't talk to them." Olivia asked with concern, "Which facility?" Elliot said, "Rikers, they are going to try her as an adult, they say she is old enough to be tried as an adult."

Olivia said determinedly, "I'm getting her out of there!" "Are you sure that it is a wise decision?" Elliot asked with a hint of curiosity to which Olivia replied, "She won't talk to anyone, not even when spoken to, that is one of the signs of abuse, I believe that is what happened to her."

Olivia picked up the phone and dialled the number of Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cabot, who would help get Charlotte out of Rikers so that she could talk to her, she knew that children who don't talk to anyone outside of one of those facilities, more often than not, do not talk to people inside one of those facilities, so she had to get her out of there. She must because she had to know what was going on.

Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cabot walked into the Special Victims Unit squad room after receiving the call from Olivia. She said, "If you are going to get her out of Rikers, you will need a strong legal argument to do so." Olivia said, "I believe I have that, but I have to run it through you before I can use it."

Alex said, "What is this legal argument that you are thinking of using?" Olivia said, "I have a question for you. What are the main reasons why children do not speak to adults?" Elliot said, "They are frightened of what might happen to them if they do tell." Alex said, "They might have been told by someone that something bad will happen to the person committing the crime so that the child feels scared and doesn't want to talk about it."

Olivia said, "Elliot, remember a case we had a month ago about the child who wouldn't say a word?" Elliot said, "I remember that one." Olivia said, "She saw something that scared her so much that she withdrew into herself and wouldn't speak a word to anyone. It took quite some time to get her to open up and start speaking to me. Often children who withdraw into themselves act out what they saw and don't know what they are doing. I believe that is what happened to Charlotte. So if we find out what she originally saw, then we can help her."

Alex said, "I don't see how this will get her out of Rikers." Olivia said, "Tell the Judge who you apply for the custody that she suffered a psychotic episode when she hit her father because of what is believed that she saw, and it is believed that she withdrew into herself after witnessing that event. We need to help her, but for us to do that, she need to be out of a Detention Facility, and it would be best to get her out of a cell as well."

Alex said, "I will present that argument to a Judge, but don't get your hopes up. She was placed in there after hitting her father over the head, she was charged with attempted murder." Olivia said, "If we want to help her, we must get her out of Rikers.

**A/N **This is my first fic, please review!


End file.
